Israeli PM brushes off Assad's call for talks (AFP)

[Eugene]

Israeli PM brushes off Assad's call for talks

30 minutes ago

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has brushed off a call
by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for a resumption of peace talks, saying
Damascus first had to stop supporting militant groups.

"It is difficult to take
Syria's declarations seriously while this country continues to support terrorism
by helping Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas among the Palestinians," Olmert's
spokeswoman Miri Eisin told AFP.

Israel accuses Syria of arming the two militant groups, a charge Damascus
denies.

In an interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica on Friday, Assad called on
Israeli and US leaders to negotiate with Damascus to revive peace talks which
have been frozen for almost seven years.

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Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061217/wl_mideast_afp/mideastisraelsyriadiplomacy_061217082823